Patriots: Ja'Whaun Bentley, Christian Sam hope to help New England at linebacker

Wednesday

May 16, 2018 at 5:57 PMMay 16, 2018 at 8:24 PM

Rich Garven Telegram & Gazette Staff @richgarventg

FOXBORO — The Patriots are as thin as a strand of spaghetti at linebacker.

Dont’a Hightower is a difference maker — when’s on the field, that is, as he has missed 22 regular-season games the past four seasons due to injury. Kyle Van Noy is a solid, three-down player.

It’s a mixed bag of one-dimensional or untested players after that.

Elandon Roberts can stop the run but is a sieve against the pass; Nicholas Grigsby is outstanding on special teams but only played 14 defensive snaps last season; and Harvey Langi appeared in one game as a rookie before landing on season-ending injured reserve after being involved in a car accident.

So the expectation was the Patriots would look to bolster the position through the draft after failing to address the issue in free agency. They did just that, albeit it much later than many pigskin prognosticators had projected.

After passing on the opportunity to take a linebacker on the first two days of the draft, they stepped up on Day 3 and selected Purdue’s Ja’Whaun Bentley in the fifth round (143rd overall) and Arizona State’s Christian Sam one round and 35 picks later.

The two participated in rookie minicamp over the weekend and now are taking part in offseason training activities with the veterans at Gillette Stadium. It’s early in the pro process, but they’ve already taken on a sense of urgency.

“We’re trying to catch up,” Sam said Tuesday. “We’re behind, and I’m just trying to gather as much information and try to catch up with them and learn from them because they’re the ones who have done it and been there.

“I’m a young pup. We’re all young pups as rookies. So we’re just trying to work hard and earn our reps.”

While Bentley and Sam play the same position, they have different skill sets.

The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Bentley did his best work against the run for the Boilermakers. The only three-time captain in program history, he amassed 272 tackles over four seasons, including a career-high 97 as a senior.

Bentley, who has struck up a friendship with Purdue alum and ex-Patriot Rosevelt Colvin, didn’t want to be labeled as an old-school linebacker. However, he doesn’t mind being known as a hitter.

“That’s one aspect of the game, so I definitely take pride in it,” Bentley said. “Along with that, I just want to get this playbook down.”

Bentley, a first-team all-state selection as a junior at famed DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville, Maryland, finished his collegiate career with two interceptions and a sack in 38 games.

The 6-2, 237-pound Sam had similar stats, with 240 tackles, 7 sacks and 3 interceptions in 35 games for the Sun Devils, but he’s definitely considered to be superior when it comes to comes to pass coverage.

He wisely downplayed that skill, undoubtedly remembering what coach Bill Belichick tells every rookie the first time they arrive here — they know nothing, and what they did in the past means even less.

“It was fun in college, you know,” Sam said of dropping into coverage, “but now I have to get acclimated to this system and do what I’m told by the coaches and make sure I do everything at a high level. Make sure I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do and being where I’m supposed to be and taking care of business.”

Like Bentley, Sam was also a scholastic standout. He helped Allen High, located in the Dallas suburb of the same name, win back-to-back Texas 5A Division 1 championships while going a combined 31-1 and earning a pair of top-five national rankings.

Sam and Bentley also have special teams experience, which will serve them well as they attempt to stick come September. In the meantime, they’re focused on taking it day to day in May.

“It’s an opportunity for me to join something special,” said Bentley, who was a teammate of Grafton High grad and Miami Dolphins rookie tackle David Steinmetz at Purdue last season. “I can just come out here and the final role is to be the best linebacker I can be.”

—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichGarvenTG.

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